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'Disappeared' teenage victim laid to rest more than 40 years after he went missing

The funeral for IRA murder victim Kevin McKee in west Belfast. Pictures by Mal McCann
The funeral for IRA murder victim Kevin McKee in west Belfast. Pictures by Mal McCann The funeral for IRA murder victim Kevin McKee in west Belfast. Pictures by Mal McCann

MOURNERS at the funeral of Disappeared victim Kevin McKee heard yesterday that his family had endured "43 years of pain, of wondering, of uncertainty" after the teenager was abducted, killed and secretly buried by the IRA.

Kevin's remains lay in bog land in Co Meath for almost 43 years before they were found earlier this year along with another man the IRA, 25 year-old Seamus Wright. Both men vanished in Belfast in October 1972. The IRA shot them on the suspicion they were working as British agents.

Their bodies were found in Coghalstown during a dig to find former Cistercian monk Joe Lynskey who was also abducted and murdered by the paramilitary group in August 1972.

DNA tests confirmed the pair’s identity last week allowing the families to make plans to finally give them a Christian burial.

A total of 17 people were taken and killed by the IRA over the years.

Thirteen of the so-called 'Disappeared' have so far been recovered with the help of The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains (ICLVR).

Yesterday, Mr McKee’s family and friends gathered at St Peter’s Cathedral on the Falls Road in west Belfast for Requiem Mass for the teenager who was 16 when he was snatched.

Among the mourners were ICLVR commissioners Sir Kenneth Bloomfield and Frank Murray as well as representatives of the Gardaí. Fr John O’Brien, the parish priest of Oristown, Co Meath, where the remains of the two men were discovered, also paid his respects.

Fr Michael Murtagh told those gathered that Mr McKee’s family had kept "treasured memories" of the teenager, who had taken on a "fatherly role" with his siblings.

A keen footballer and artist, the 16-year-old was a student at the Art College in Belfast.

The Redemptorist said it was "important for Kevin and for his family that they are given the chance to grieve publicly and acknowledge the awful tragedy his murder and secret burial was."

"We acknowledge Kevin and the memories we hold dear," he said.

"We name the things that might and been and we grieve the fact that they never happened."

Fr Murtagh said the McKee family had endured "43 years of pain, of wondering, of uncertainty…"

"We acknowledge that at times there were very few to turn to and it was a lonely road for them to travel," he said.

"We commend the family's resilience and all that they have come through."

Mr Murtagh also praised the work of the ICLVR.

"It is a part of our sometimes faltering peace process that is working, has proved itself to be robust and very confidential for those who have chosen to work with it," he said.

He also encouraged anyone with information about the remaining four missing people to take a “leap of faith and share what they have with the relevant confidential channels.”

"The relief and closure it gives to family and loved ones can never be under estimated," he said.

Following Requiem Mass Mr McKee was laid to rest beside his mother in Blaris Cemetery in Lisburn.

The funeral of Seamus Wright will take place today at 10am in St Agnes's Church followed by a service at Roselawn Crematorium.